UEFA technical boss Roxburgh praises Arshavin magic

By Mike Collett

BASEL (Reuters) - Andy Roxburgh, the head of UEFA's technical delegation at Euro 2008 singled out Russian Andrei Arshavin as one of the players of the tournament so far, even though he was suspended for the opening two matches.

The 27-year-old forward missed the 4-1 defeat by Spain and the 1-0 win over Greece in Group D but has had a major impact since returning for the final group game against Sweden and the quarter-final victory over Netherlands.

"He wasn't playing in the first two matches because of suspension but his introduction to the Russian team has been like a sparkle of magic," said Roxburgh on a live link from Vienna where he was addressing a news briefing.

"He almost seems to have ignited them. He has made a good team even better since he has come in. The Russian team is getting stronger and stronger as the competition goes on."

Former Scotland manager Roxburgh also said Arshavin's goal against Sweden, which helped Russia to a 2-0 win and a place in the last eight, was one of the best at the tournament.

Arshavin also made one goal and scored another in Russia's 3-1 extra time win over Netherlands on Saturday in Basel. Russia meet Spain in the semi-final in Vienna on Thursday.

Roxburgh also praised the performance of Michael Ballack against Portugal in last Thursday's quarter-final which Germany won 3-2 to set up Wednesday's semi-final with Turkey in Basel.

"Michael Ballack is the only player left in the competition who also played in the Champions League final.